Colette Gotfried is a Sr. CloudEngineer currently working out of Princeton, New Jersey. We caught up with herto learn more about her process in joining DoiT, what it’s like to work in aremote role, and what makes working at DoiT so unique.
What led you to DoiT, and what’s your role?
I was at a point in my career whereI had experienced many roles in numerous types of environments. I felt I hadnot only gathered a variety of technical skills but also a variety ofsituational experiences along the way... I was looking for a role where I couldexpress all my aptitudes and keep learning at the same time. It also had toserve as a role where I would not get bored or locked into a specific projectforever. This is not easy to find. I was searching for a company that wouldencourage initiatives and also foster a constant learning environment.
When DoiT contacted me anddescribed the role they were offering of Cloud Architect, it sounded like I washome. Today, my role as a Senior Cloud Architect (CRE) consists of assistingour customers in their cloud journey. This can be technical support for anyissue the customer may encounter or architectural guidance. It is ever-changingand keeps me learning new concepts every single day. I get to developrelationships with our customers and get visibility into many different areasof the industry.
What attracted you to join DoiT?
From the first phone call withDoiT, I felt it was not a regular company. The friendliness and openness ofeveryone I talked to were very refreshing. At that point, I had interviewedwith several companies, including some very well-known and looked-afteremployers, though I was not hearing much enthusiasm from the people who weretalking to me.
Talking with DoiT, I heardexcitement, confidence, and pride.
Then I heard I would be encouragedto learn and develop my skills, I would have flexibility with how I manage mytime, and I would be working from home 100% of the time. I liked everything Iheard, and I decided I wanted to be part of the DoiT culture.
What kind of research did you do before joining DoiT?
I did not do exhaustive research atthe time. I looked at Glassdoor and LinkedIn, and all I saw looked encouraging,but those channels were less developed and informative than they are today byDoiT.
It was more helpful to have honestconversations with DoiT employees during the interview process. That gave me areal-life perspective of what would be my life as a Doer. Today, DoiT has donea great job of building out its brand and the value it offers as an employer.
How has the reality of working at DoiT aligned with previousexpectations?
It has aligned perfectly and more.The culture was as I expected it to be: both collaborative and friendly. Therole was challenging and interesting, as promised. I was home, working andliving harmoniously, able to take time when needed for any of life’s smallmatters.
Therewere a few good surprises along the way! I was welcomed and mentored into arole that was entirely new to me. The efforts made by the company make me feelappreciated and part of a team, such as snack packages before big companymeetings and our once-a-year kickoff meeting where we get to meet and have funtogether.
Talk to us about joining a company in hyper-growth and thechallenges that come with it.
It is challenging and exciting atthe same time. When you join a company during its early stages of growth, youknow everyone, and the interactions are fluid and efficient. When a companygrows, there is a need to formalize a lot of processes to maintain efficiency.You very quickly become one of the seniors while you still feel like a junior.Luckily, our team comprises many members who were part of companies of allsizes through all types of transitions. We know how to leverage the experienceand wisdom of our team to adapt to the transitions DoiT must go through.
We had to make sure we could absorba lot of new recruits and define a flawless onboarding process. The fear isalways to lose the spirit and atmosphere of a small company. This did nothappen at DoiT, as we are organized in small teams (pods), and it allows us tohave a personal connection with our manager and our pod members.
It is good to feel part of asuccess story, and it challenges you to keep it that way. We hire people allthe time, so it gives all of us a chance to mentor someone and instill ourculture in the new members.
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What’s it like to be part of a fully-remote company?
It has a lot of advantages. In mycase, it allowed me to be a digital nomad in Southern Europe for a few monthswithout missing a day of work. More conventionally, it allows me to work fromthe comfort of my home, regardless of the weather or traffic conditions, and bemore relaxed. It may seem that this setting does not promote social exchanges,but we exchange constantly and have conversations all day long (someprofessional, some social). It is a big advantage of working at DoiT.
